Effective tomorrow, November 23, 2021, Ontario Optometrists will start seeing O.H.I.P. patients again.  Continued service hinges on successful negotiations with the Ministry of Health which have (finally) restarted. We won't know the outcome of these talks for some time but in Optometry's show of good faith for the Government, our Association agreed to resume examinations for all.  Let's hope for success.

As happened with our COVID-19 suspension of care and the displaced patients in the schedule, we will try our best to fit everyone back in as expediently as possible.  It is a daunting task and we will try to prioritize known at-risk patients and patients with expressed urgency.  We have kept a chronological list of everyone postponed and will attempt to contact you.

Unless it is an emergency situation, it would be best if you DO NOT call us to reschedule so we can efficiently use our phone time to get everyone reorganized in an orderly fashion.

Thanks for your patience.  Let's hope that this service restart can be permanent!

Maguire Banks couldn't wait.  On October 29th, he arrived a few weeks early to a welcoming Dr. Misener and her husband, Ian. Everyone is doing well, though life is certainly going to be busy now. Some unexpected maternity leave scheduling changes have had to happen but people are quite understanding and supportive.  Congratulations to the new parents!

Thirty-two years of the Provincial Government's failure to recognize and seem to value the high quality level of primary eye care that Optometry offers to the publicly funded O.H.I.P. health care system has resulted in an eye care crisis.  If nothing changes in the funding method of eye exams in Ontario, the future is bleak.  Wait times for eye exams for developing youth and the vulnerable elderly will surely rise since O.H.I.P. doesn't pay enough to actually cover the real cost of delivery of the service.  Quality of care will suffer.  New graduate Optometrists are leaving Ontario. The fee paid by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan has only changed $5 since 1989.  Optometrists have had no contract with the Government since 2011 and there is no binding plan for regular discussion with the Ministry of Health. 

Consequently, effective September 1, 2021, in effort to protect the future of our profession and help sustain excellent care of our patients, the vast majority of Ontario's Optometrists are NOT accepting O.H.I.P. funded cases. This Job Action is planned to continue UNTIL the Ministry of Health agrees (at a minimum) to cover the cost of diagnostic care and to establish a formalized method of regular negotiation (that is offered to all other Regulated Professions).  Fair warning was provided in December of 2020 that this drastic change in service would occur if there was no productive response from Government to Optometry's concerns.

At this point many exams will have to be postponed and we now worry about the ocular health of our patients as we await an end to Government procrastination. If you get caught in this fight, we apologize, but it is important that the system be fixed. To date, much support for Optometry's position has already been offered by patients, fellow health care providers, other organizations, specialized clinics and from many Members of Provincial Parliament. Progress will happen but timing is uncertain.

We will try our best to connect with all affected patients with appointments in our schedule that need to be shuffled or postponed. We just ask that you have patience with us and treat our office staff with the respect they deserve in this trying time.

​If you'd like to help and voice your concern to the Government, please contact our local MPP or visit www.saveeyecare.ca  

What a nice summer!  Enjoy and wear your sunglasses when you get outside!

Well, we've been open now for a little more than a month. 

Things are certainly different than they used to be but the current new normal isn't really all that changed from before from a patient experience...except for the mandatory appointments for examinations, glasses selections and repairs or adjustments, contact lens and glasses pick-ups/fittings.  There is a MUST wear a mask policy (but this exists at any indoor facility or store in Kingston), a slower, controlled entry to the office proper, more Covid-19 questions to answer, and, a need to use hand sanitizer on the way in.

Examinations involve a little less personal conversation and dilating eye drops may be used at a different point of the evaluation but overall remain comprehensive.  Our goal is to reduce your time in the office and to reduce the total number of people in the physical office at any particular point.  This hasn't changed the primary eye care goals of the experience.  Some tests may be deferred to a future date if they are not absolutely required (eg. visual field assessments) but will be completed if deemed necessary.  We are currently limiting new contact lens fittings and teachings but expect that these will be safe to resumed relatively soon.  Spectacle frame choices are controlled more carefully by our helpful staff and handled frames are kept separate from others until effectively cleaned.

Now we're emailing receipts and prescriptions to all those who provide us with appropriate information and minimizing paper use and contact between people.

Things are going along pretty well.

Stay safe out there, Kingston!

Effective May 26, 2020, the Chief Medical Officer of Health (CMOH) for Ontario amended Directive #2, issued under Section 77.7 of the Health Protection and Promotion Act (HPPA) for Health Care Providers (Regulated Health Professionals).  A portion of the amendment states:

“All deferred and non-essential and elective services carried out by Health Care Providers may be gradually restarted, subject to the requirements of this Directive”, and, “Health Care Providers must consider which services should continue to be provided remotely and which services can safely resume in-person with appropriate hazard controls and sufficient PPE”, and, “Health Care Providers must also adhere to the guidance provided by their applicable health regulatory college…”

As Optometrists, we were required to cease providing non-essential services on March 19, 2020 and have been trying to manage patient eye care needs remotely as smoothly as possible in this environment. 

Now, BAYVIEW OPTOMETRY can open again!

BUT with some modifications that adhere to the recommendations of the CMOH and guidelines from our College of Optometrists of Ontario (COO).  Although we were already attending to many safety details, there will be increased diligence to cleaning and disinfection techniques, hand washing, and there are some noticeable changes to the look and operation of the office that will better ensure safety for both patients and staff.  To that end:

• All staff will confirm that a daily self-assessment for symptoms and risk factors of COVID-19 is negative.
• Until further notice, all patient encounters will be by APPOINTMENT ONLY.
• Please come to your appointment promptly and a maximum of 10 minutes early.
• A risk assessment and screening will be performed before every patient interaction, including at the time of scheduling an appointment, at the time of confirming a previously made appointment, and, upon arrival at the office.  Patients should expect questions relating to known symptoms of COVID-19, recent travel history, and, the reason for their visit to the office.  Patients with a positive screening result for COVID-19 will NOT be admitted, and, will be directed to Telehealth Ontario.  Virtual consultation may result in subsequent referral to ophthalmology clinics appropriately equipped to manage symptomatic patients.
• All persons entering the office MUST wear a mask covering their mouth and nose.
• All persons entering the office MUST utilize the vestibule Hand-Sanitizing station.
• All persons entering the office MUST practice physical distancing when possible (>2m) and time they spend in the office will be minimized.  To accomplish this, examinations may be streamlined to pertain to major concerns only.  Frame selection procedures will be expediated.  At this time, no new contact lens teaching sessions will occur, and, some other specialized routine testing may be deferred.
• The total number of persons occupying the office space will be limited.  Patients are asked to come ALONE into the office space.  If absolutely necessary, any patient may have ONE support person accompany them into the office space but not into the examination.  
• Devices that contact patients will be cleaned and disinfected with recognized anti-bacterial and anti-viral agents after every new encounter.
• We have added breath shield protection to the reception area, optical dispensary tables, and, where possible, all examination equipment.
• Waiting room seating has been conformed to adhere to physical distancing principles.
• The use of the public washroom, though not prohibited, will be discouraged.
• Financial transactions will be completed by Credit or Debit card ONLY.  When possible, receipts and prescriptions will be provided electronically.

 
We have strived to minimize changes to our previous operating procedures but given the “new” reality of this viral pandemic risk, there will reduced interaction and more formality.  Please do NOT interpret this as a decreased level of caring.  It is quite the opposite.  We want our entire Optometry family to remain as healthy as possible.
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In addition, since we have been forced to cancel hundreds of patient visits over the last three months, understand that we will make every effort to reschedule everyone involved as timely as possible.  However, we may be forced to prioritize patients based on perceived urgency and you may have a longer wait than you hoped for a more routine assessment going forward.  We ask our patients for patience as we work through this challenging time.

The Provincial State of Emergency has been extended, so, now we are mandated to remain closed until April 23, 2020.  Indications are that this still could be extended but when allowed back to routine care, "routine" may certainly be different.  We will formulate plans based on guidance from the Ministry of Health, our College of Optometrists, and, our Provincial Association of Optometrists...

For now, we continue to be monitoring our answering machine for messages and trying to respond to more urgent issues.  Email sent to drjim@bayviewoptometry.com is more closely monitored...

Cancellations that have needed to have been made due to this closure are unfortunate.  At this point, we're not sure how people will be worked back into the schedules but we will try to accomplish this as fairly as possible once we better understand the new "normal".

Again, thanks for your patience.  Stay home and keep washing your hands!